A Brothers' Quarrel
by L.e.o.n.a.r.d.o.TMNT
Summary: When Leonardo returns from his two years in Central America, he expects everything to be normal. However, it will never be normal again. More warnings and information inside.
1. Original Ending

Alright, I'm writing for a new fandom. This is based off of the 2007 TMNT movie, though the plot is slightly different (and a few details, like the layout of the Lair, may be slightly incorrect). Leonardo did leave for training and not return until two years later, but Yaotl, the monsters, and the stone generals aren't involved. It is just a dark, twisted version of the relationship between Leonardo and Raphael.

There will be two endings- the first will be my original, dark ending. The second will be more… happy I suppose? It is by no means happy, but it is better than the first. It also has a t-cest warning. The endings can be interchanged after the double asterisk **. The second one is the second chapter.

Rated M for: language, dark themes, violence; gore and character death in the first ending, t-cest in the second.

It had been two years. Two years since Leonardo had been shipped off to Central America by Master Splinter. One year longer than it was supposed to last. One year, Splinter said. One year to help Leo become a better leader.

"Bullshit. You said one year, Leo. One year…" Raph muttered. He sat alone on the top of a building. The darkened streets of New York below him had remained the same. They shouldn't be able to continue on while he suffered. He knew his brothers were in pain as well, but not as he was.

His eyes drifted over the horizon of his city. The sky slowly lit up as the dawn approached, giving Raph the signal to head home. Every night was just like this- he donned his Nightwatcher armor and roamed the streets, searching for any thugs that pissed him off. This night had been quiet, but he was still tired enough to sleep.

He quickly headed home, easily sneaking into the Lair. His brothers were both awake and currently watching a movie. Oddly enough, Master Splinter's door was currently open and the light was on. Instead of having to speak to his brothers, which always tended to end in some sort of fight, he decided to investigate what his master was doing. When he peered inside, his heart skipped a beat.

Standing in his Master's chambers, acting as if nothing had happened, was Leonardo. His brother, who had left them- no, who had abandoned them- for two years had returned. Master Splinter caught Raphael's eye. "Ah, Raphael. Your brother has returned safely." He gestured to the eldest turtle as Leonardo turned to Raphael. A very small smile came to his face.

"Hey, Raph. I'm back." He ducked his head slightly, waiting for Raphael to respond.

Raphael cocked his head slightly and looked down for a moment before meeting his brother's gaze. "Oh, uh, hey, Leo. Welcome home." He spread his hands a bit as he stared in disbelief.

"You should greet your other brothers, Leonardo. They have been waiting a long time to see you again."

Leonardo turned to his master and nodded as he stepped out of the room. Raphael stepped back to let his brother pass, turning to follow immediately after him. Leonardo walked towards the chair on which Donatello sat, watching a movie. "Hey, Don, I'm back."

The purple-masked turtle glanced up before standing with a large smile. "Leo! You're back!" He embraced his brother quickly. Raphael walked behind the couch, hitting Mikey on the head. His sudden awakening knocked him from the couch.

"Hey, shell-for-brains. Leo's back. Better say hi," he muttered as he stalked to the kitchen to fix a sandwich. He concentrated on preparations as his peripheral vision allowed him to watch Mikey jump onto Leo to hug him. Raphael scoffed as he grabbed his sandwich and headed up to his room. The mushy reunion was too much for him to take.

He walked into his room, slamming the door behind him. His brothers all glanced up at the door, shrugging simultaneously. It was Raph, what could they say? He set the sandwich on the ground near the hammock as he flopped into it, putting his arm over his face. A few seconds later, the same fist made impact against the wall hard enough to leave cracks rippling out from the spot he hit.

"How can he do that? Just waltz back into our lives like nothing happened? He was gone for two years. _Two fucking years_. What the hell, Leo!" He grit his teeth as he closed his eyes. He wasn't going to cry, he was just trying not to go berserk and destroy his room at this point.

The sounds of laughter and banter floated up from downstairs, making Raphael groan in anger. It was too much for him, but he didn't have the energy to go topside or head to the dojo. He turned over to try and block out the sounds from downstairs, which resulted in him instantly falling asleep.

The next week or so had most everything returning to a quasi-normal state. The brothers trained together under the orders of their sensei. They were not allowed to fight until they could do so as a team. Thus, Leonardo was using a strict training regimen. He had learned much in his time away from his family and was planning to teach it to them all.

During the training, Raphael barely seemed to try. His blocking was poorly-timed, and his attacks barely landed on their targets. Leonardo had little patience. "Raphael, what is your problem? You have no focus at all!" he scolded. Normally Raph was all for fighting. He didn't understand what was up. "Come at me again, Raph!"

The younger turtle narrowed his eyes angrily at his leader. With a growl, he threw himself at Leo. A few moments of brawling later, Raph had Leo pinned. His forearm was barring Leo's throat against the wall as he gasped for breath. Raph's eyes went wide for a moment before he stepped back. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again as he ran out of the room.

Leo reached up to massage his sore throat as he watched Raph walk out. His gaze stayed on his brother until he had cleared the room. He then gazed around at Donatello and Michelangelo. "Training is over. I'm going to my room."

The three turtles walked out, heading their own ways for the time being. Leo wanted to go after Raphael, but he didn't think it was a good idea. His hot-headed sibling wasn't someone to mess with while angry. He had learned from past experiences to try and let him calm down first.

For the rest of the day, all he did was meditate and train alone. The thought s of the earlier training session kept running through his head. He had obviously irritated Raph, but never before had Raph ever been that truly violent towards him. Rough housing and wrestling were one thing, but near-choking was completely another.

As night rolled around, Leonardo decided to head out and look for his brother. It had been almost 12 hours since their encounter and hopefully Raph would have cooled off by now. He stepped out of his room and glanced around. Donatello was engrossed in his work and Mikey was playing his games yet again, so he chose to ask his master.

"Master Splinter, do you know where Raphael went? I… need to talk with him." He managed to meet his sensei's gaze, but only just. He had heard what had happened in the dojo and was not pleased by the behavior of his red-masked son.

"I believe that he went out. I do not approve of him leaving at this late hour." He gave a meaningful glance to his son. Leonardo nodded once before running towards the entrance to the lair. He didn't know where Raphael went, so he would just have to comb the streets for a while.

Once he was top-side, Leonardo reveled in the feeling. He had enjoyed his many runs through the jungle, but there was just something different about running through the city at night. The view from the roofs and the feel of the wind made it an unforgettable experience.

It took him a few moments before he noticed anything. It was Raphael, but it was definitely something. It looked like a walking suit of armor. Was that… it was that vigilante that he had heard about, wasn't it? The Nightwatcher. Leonardo's eyes narrowed as he watched the vigilante. He was on the roof across the street from him. He would not put up with this ridiculous act any longer.

He set off, heading off the man across from him. After a few minutes of chase, Leonardo landed on the roof behind the armored man. "Alright, Nightwatcher. Just give it up, will you?" The armored being turned to face Leonardo as he spoke. After a moment, he pulled out two chains that ended in pointed blocks of metal. One began to swing ominously behind his head.

Leonardo let a smirk cross his face. "If you're sure, then bring it." He flipped backwards onto the ledge of the roof, squatting down and training his gaze onto the helmet of Nightwatcher. Raphael growled as he flung his chains towards his brother. Leonardo easily avoided every attack, taunting more and more with every miss. "You call that an attack, Nightwatcher? Come on!"

Raphael paused in his attack to drop his weapons. He curled his fingers into fists as he prepared himself for hand-to-hand combat. Leonardo smirked as he leapt down towards Nightwatcher. "Finally, it gets interesting!" They both ran at each other at the same time, leaping at each other in perfect synchronicity.

Blows were thrown and blocked equally, though Leonardo eventually gained the upper-hand. He found that his opponent was very easily angered, and he played to that weakness. "Do you even call that fighting?" That last taunt gave him the perfect opportunity to strike. A strong uppercut to the jaw sent Nightwatcher flying one way, his helmet the other.

"Alright, now let's see who you-" Leonardo froze midsentence as Raphael stood. "Raph? What the hell, man! You're Nightwatcher?" His eyes narrowed in anger as he glanced at his younger brother. "How could you be doing this vigilante crap?" His voice rose in anger as he spoke. Thunder clapped overhead as the clouds started to release their rainy burden.

Raphael growled. "At least I am doing something!" He stood and turned to face his brother. "I have been protecting the people of this city from thugs while you were off in the goddamned jungle! You haven't become any better of a leader, you just abandoned your family!"

Leonardo stepped forward and glared at his brother. "Regardless of whether I fully succeeded or not, I am still the leader. I am calmer, more patient, and I am _better than you, Raphael._" He smiled smugly at his little sibling as he kept his glare trained on him.

Raphael pulled out his sais, aiming one menacingly at his brother. Leonardo narrowed his eyes. "You don't want to do this, Raph." Even as he spoke, he was pulling his own weapons free from their sheaths.

An angry grimace spread over Raph's face as he spun a blade. "Yes I do, Leonardo, because I am sick of you!" He shouted the last word as he sprinted towards his brother, blades ready. Leonardo followed suit, knowing that this battle would not be a simple sibling fight. It was for leadership and honor.

Their blades clanged against one another as they struck their first blows, aiming for each other's heads. Both were evenly skilled with their blades, matching each other perfectly- parry for parry, thrust for thrust. The fight raged on through the downpour, the red light of the neon sign above them giving an eerie glow to the entire scene.

Raphael managed to back Leonardo up against the sign, their blades still clanging. The katanas aimed squarely for Raphael's head, but were caught in his sais. Both brothers leaned towards each other, each trying to assert their power and dominance. **

Everything went wrong in that moment.

Leonardo's sword both snapped in half, the blades flying away from his. Raphael lost his balance, his left blade plunging straight before him. Though he tried to stop it, the point of the blade found its place. A small crack in Leonardo's plating had enough space for the tip, and the rest of the blade followed with Raph's weight to propel it.

Time seemed to stop. Raph froze in place as he realized what he had done. Leonardo's eyes went wide as he felt the pain. At first, he barely felt anything. Then the pain blossomed. It started in his abdomen, slowly spreading through his entire torso. His head jerked forward, blood spurting from his mouth as he fell backwards against the wall.

"Leo…" Raphael choked. "Leo, no, no, this wasn't supposed to happen!" He watched as his brother slumped down the wall, groaning in agony as his hands grasped at his abdomen. Raph fell to his knees, tears starting to flow freely as they mingled with the rainwater soaking his face.

Leo looked up at Raph, a mixture of pity and regret in his eyes. "Raph…" he coughed, "I didn't… I didn't mean to leave you…" He reached out a hand to weakly grasp that of his brother. "I'm sorry, Raph…" he whispered. Leo's dimming eyes met those of Raph for a moment that seemed like eternity. A last, shuddering cough wracked Leonardo's body before his hand fell limp.

Raph closed his eyes, head falling down as he let out a sob. He gently pulled his blade from Leo's stomach, the blood continuing to soak both bodies. Raphael pulled his brother's body into his arms as he cried out into the night.

His brother, his dear brother, was dead. He hadn't meant to kill him. He had wanted to hurt him, to show him the pain that he had felt while Leo was gone. He had wanted to show that he could be a leader too. But it had gone too far.

He was dead.

The truth was something that he didn't want to accept. But he had to. What was he going to tell the others? That he had killed their leader, their brother, out of rage? He couldn't face them. He couldn't take their anger- no, that was a lie. He wanted their anger, but he wouldn't get it. They would only give him shame, sadness… or worse, pity. That he couldn't handle.

He couldn't handle the pity and forgiveness that his dying brother had given him! He angrily punched the ground beside him as he wailed into the night, the rain pouring down upon the brothers.


	2. Alternate Ending

Alright, the second ending! This one starts after the double asterisk** in the story.  
This is less violent and does involve turtle-cest, so you have been forewarned.

As the brothers leaned towards each other, their blades intertwined with one another. Raph let out a growl as he twisted his sais slightly. Leonardo's katanas both broke at the same instant, the blades flying away from him. The momentum of the push let Raph shove his older brother to the ground and fall on top of him, pinning him down.

Raph's eyes met those of his brother as he jabbed both sais into the ground beside his brother's head, less than 2 inches away. Leo's gaze didn't waver, his breathing didn't change- he just stared up at his brother with anger.

Raphael's eyes widened in horror at the realization of what he had just done. How could he? If his sais had been off at all… He pulled them from the concrete underneath him, quickly standing up. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but no sound came out. He quickly turned and ran from the scene. He couldn't go home. He couldn't see his brothers now. Not after that…

He didn't know where he was running, but he didn't stop for a good 15 minutes. The rain and tears were streaking down his face, mingling together on his scales. He collapsed on the roof of whatever building he was on, curling up into a sobbing heap. He laid there for what seemed like forever until he found enough strength to sit up. It took him another moment to motivate himself to a standing position in order to remove his armor. If this was being Nightwatcher, he didn't want it anymore.

The pieces of armor went flying, landing in a heap before he quit. His helmet was still back on whatever roof they had fought on. He didn't care. The metal could just rust for all he cared. He hoped that the outfit would be destroyed by the elements, sufficiently erasing Nightwatcher from the memory of all.

He stood, picking up his sais as he did. They were quickly tucked into his belt as he turned to glance over the city skyline. He sat on the edge of the roof, his feet dangling over the edge as he watched the sun rise. It was dangerous to be topside at daytime, but he didn't care at this point. He waited for a good 5 hours, until the sun was rising in the sky, before he turned and headed back to the lair.

Leonardo didn't move until he could no longer hear the footsteps of Raphael in the distance. He slowly stood, his eyes surveying the area around him. There was a slight spattering of blood on the concrete from their brawl, but it wouldn't draw too much attention. Few others besides them and the Foot rarely came up to the roof anyway.

He checked himself over for any major wounds, but he found only bruises and the occasional cut. He put a hand over his face as he sighed deeply. In Raph's eyes, Leo was a monster. He thought that he had abandoned the family, that he had left them to fall apart. "I didn't abandon you, Raph…" he whispered.

After only a moment more, Leo decided to head home. He had a strong feeling that Raph would not be there. He sprinted across the rooftops, his mind trying to put aside the recent happenings until later. He needed to go home and meditate on it all for a while before speaking on it.

When he reached the Lair, he saw that the rest of his family was in bed asleep. Raph's door was open, meaning he wasn't there. He knew that was to be the case, so he simply headed back to his own room for a few hours of sleep.

When morning rolled around, Leonardo was later than usual in waking up. He walked out of his room only to be greeted by the sight of Don, Mikey and Master Splinter heading towards the entrance of the lair. "Master Splinter, where are you guys headed?"

Don turned to smile at his older brother. "Oh, hey Leo. We are heading over to April's house to help out with some things. She only needed 3 of us, so you and Raphael can just stay here." He waved before they all headed out, the door shutting solidly behind them.

Leonardo let a sigh escape him as he turned back to the stairs. His brother's room was closed, meaning that he was currently inside. It had been long enough for Raph to calm down, so Leo decided to speak with him.

After quickly climbing the stairs, he knocked on his brother's door. There was no answer, which equated to a yes in Leo's mind. He opened the door and stepped into his brother's darkened chambers. He saw the form of his brother curled up on his hammock. A mattress sat in the corner. The only other adornment was an old crate that served as a table for the red-masked brother.

Leonardo closed the door behind him as he headed to the mattress and sat down. Raphael was turned away from him. His voice was low and gruff when he spoke. "Who told you to come in? I sure as hell didn't."

Leo kept his head facing forward, looking directly at Raphael's back. "You didn't say no, Raphael, and you know that we need to talk. Now. About the training, about last night…" He let his sentence die off as he sighed.

Raphael turned and stood from his hammock, walking over to the other end of the mattress from the one Leo perched on. His eyes were slightly red and puffy, his voice low and gravelly. He refused to look Leo in the eye. The pair sat there in an awkward silence for a little over a minute before Leo decided to break it.

"Raphael. Look… I'm sorry." He paused, but his brother seemed to give no reaction. "I know that my leaving was hard on you. All of you. I didn't mean for it to be for so long. I didn't want to return as a failure. I-" He was cut off by Raphael's deep voice.

"Do you really think we cared about that, Leo? We didn't care why. I… we all wanted you home. No letters, no explanation…" He put his hands up to grab either side of his head as his words became choked. "You left us, Leo! You left us alone, and we fell apart!" He turned towards his brother, pointing an accusatory finger at his chest.

Both brothers turned to look at each other, their glares meeting evenly. Leonardo was remorseful, Raphael angered. One minute they were glaring, the next Leo was pinned against the wall.

The sudden movement surprised Leo. How his brother was able to manage that was beyond him. His hands were pinned to the wall above his head, Raphael's hands holding tightly to his own. Their faces were only mere inches apart, their eyes locked onto each other.

"Raphael, what… what are you doing?" His voice had dropped to a whisper, a hint of fear in his voice. He had felt tinges of fear at his brother's hands before, but not like this. It wasn't rage or anger, or even frustration that he was sensing. It was a longing… for what, he was unsure… Revenge was his first thought, but there seemed to be another, hidden motive.

Raph's breathing was low and heavy, as was his voice when he spoke. "I am going to make you hurt, Leonardo. I can't leave my family for a year as you did, but I can instill something worse than pain in you- fear. Not the fear of being injured, but the fear of losing your control. I am in control, and you will have no way to fight it."

Before Leonardo could respond, Raphael leaned closer and did something that made Leo's blood freeze- he kissed him. While Leo was distracted, Raph adjusted his grip to hold Leo's hands in one of his, leaving his left hand free. His fingers nimbly undid Leonardo's belt. The sash holding his sheaths fell to the ground, clanging as it settled.

Leo felt his hands freed and tried to move them, but they were quickly restrained again. He felt his belt tightening around his hands as he fought back. Raphael was too quick. He shoved Leo onto his back on the bed, his arms becoming pinned underneath him as he landed. Raph reached up and quickly turned his mask to the side, obscuring his vision.

"Raph… Raph please, stop…" Leo's voice wavered as he spoke, only to gain back some confidence a second later. "Raphael, stop this now!" He tried to sit up underneath of his brother, but it was in vain. All it did was elicit an angry growl out of Raph.

"No, Leo, you are going to feel fear, just like I did! I was scared that you weren't coming home again, and it's your turn to suffer!" He yanked Leo's headband down into his mouth, the knot forming a type of gag in his mouth. He glared down at Leo as he did this, pausing in his actions.

Leo was glaring up at Raphael, a look of defiance in his eyes. How Raphael was doing this to his own brother was far too hard for him to bear. He would not take this in stride. He had always loved Raphael, perhaps even more than Michelangelo and Donatello. They had always fought more than anyone, but they were also the closest.

Raph growled and slapped Leo. "How dare you glare at me! I won't let you stop this, Leo!" He threw his own sais to the side as he leaned down and bit Leo's shoulder. Leo hissed and groaned. It hurt, but there was something else strange- it felt good. He knew it was strange, and wrong on many levels. But it still felt good. That is, until Raph moved locations.

Leo suddenly felt a bite lower towards his chest. It was much harder than last time, and it was in a more sensitive area. A cry escaped his throat this time, and the pain brought tears to his eyes. He mumbled through the gag, but no words came out understandably. Raph ignored the mutterings, only biting harder.

As Leo made another cry of pain, Raph sat up and slapped his brother across the face. An angry red mark was left behind as Leo's head fell to the side. He didn't turn back to look at his brother, causing Raph to stop. He heard a slight sniffling sound and only then did he notice that Leo was crying. He had almost never seen his brother cry.

In that instant, he saw what he was doing. Leonardo glanced up at him. The defiance was gone, replaced with pain and betrayal. Raph pulled Leo's mask from his mouth, but he didn't move from his position atop his brother. He had gotten what he wanted, but at what price?

After a few more moments of staring, Raph had had enough. He reached behind Leo to undo the knot before turning and leaving. As he reached the door, he heard Leo's choked voice. "Don't." Raph turned, his hand on the knob.

His brother was standing, his mask discarded on the floor beside him. His hands were clenched tightly at his sides, his eyes shut tight as his face turned towards the floor. "Don't go… Raphael…" He fell to his knees, trying to fight the pain.

Raph grit his teeth, remaining immobile for a moment longer. He then took a few steps before reaching his brother. He fell to his knees as well, his gaze remaining on his brother's down-turned head. Neither of them moved for a few minutes, and it was Leo that broke the silence. "Raphael… I… I won't pretend to understand how you feel. But please… please believe me when I say I didn't mean it…" He glanced up at Raphael , meeting his gaze for only a moment before he had to look away. "I didn't want to hurt our family. I wanted to better myself for you… I was an inadequate leader, and I was failing you…"

Leo froze when he felt Raph's hand on his own. A flinch went through his body as he heard Raph's voice, but he relaxed a bit as he went on. "Leo…" It was strained, as if speaking was causing him pain. "Leo, I… I know. I know you didn't mean to. But… but you could have written, let us know! We thought you had abandoned us… I thought you were dead!"

Leo snapped his gaze up to his brother. "You… you thought I was dead? I would never abandon you, Raphael. I love my brothers… my family…" He leaned forward suddenly, pulling Raph into a tight hug. "I… I love you, Raph, and you know that… Even through our fights, and-"

He paused as Raph pushed him back gently. He aimed to continue when he felt Raph's forehead on his own. He froze again, afraid of what Raphael was going to do. "Leo… I'm sorry… feel free to beat me up or expel me if you want, but…" He leaned in close, gently pressing his mouth to that of his brother.

Leo's initial reaction was to freak. He reached his arm up to push Raph away, but he paused when Raph moved back. "I was being cruel earlier… But… But I still want to be… well, with you, Leo. I know it's wrong and no one will approve or agree, but… Will you please give me a chance, bro?"

Leo paused, his arm still up in a defensive position. He moved, noticing that Raph flinched as he did. Instead of hitting him, or running away, he reached out to gently lay his hand against his brother's cheek. "Raphael." The tone of his voice conveyed his authority once more, making Raph shut his eyes. Instead of hearing an angry reprimand, Raph almost went into shock as he felt Leo kissing him back.

It was brief, and Leo pulled back to find Raph staring at him. He quirked an eyebrow. "What, Raph?"

Raph just chuckled. "It's nothing, Fearless."

After that night, both turtles looked at each other in a new way. Raphael was no longer just a stubborn hothead. He was someone that truly cared about Leo, and everyone else, before himself. He began listening to Leo more, though they still had their fights.

Leonardo was more open to having others influence his ideas. Though not around the others, he did show a more tender side. He was not as fearless as he had always been, and he had never thought that he would thank the hothead for that.

Though the team had been split, they were again a whole unit. It was still a bit rough around the edges, but the Turtles were a family again. Raph and Leo had to hide their feelings from everyone, but in each other they found happiness.

So. Much cheesier and happier than I had originally planned. I just suck at endings so bad.


End file.
